This week, we did a #NetNarr Twitter Flash in the Tuesday lecture about what I think is one of the coolest digital artworks I’ve seen. We had already been shown it once before so I was happy to see that it was the Sky Magic we were going to talk about — or tweet about.

I really enjoy watching it and the contrast between nature and the digital is so fascinating to me. The vibe it gets is so contradictory because of the landscape with Mount Fuji in the background, the live played music on the traditional instruments clashing with a ballet performed by drones, lighting up the sky in different patterns.

My thoughts and answers to some of the questions during the Twitter Flash were these:

The blending of nature and the digital is very interesting. The ballet takes place in front of a mountain at a deserted place in nature with the music being played beside it, but the ballet itself is all digital and performed by drones — that stands out to me. #netnarr

My reception of the Sky Magic Live is as a comment on the fact that technology seems to be involved and take great part in so many areas and aspects of life and the world — now also this that seems like an otherwise very traditional "performance" or ritual. #netnarr

The relationship between nature/tradition and technology is very much being highlighted and even though my first interpretation of it was that it could be a comment on the technological development and engagement in so many scenes of life, it doesn’t have to be in a negative perspective. Taking something that comes off as so traditional and close to nature as the music and Mount Fuji in the background and the inclusion of drones for the main act of the ballet is very beautiful. This because of their distinction and the thought that tradition shouldn’t be changed and (I am hearing my grandmom’s voice now) that technology and digital devices shouldn’t change tradition — but in this ballet, it is included and shows the possible union of the two in a great way. They don’t have to clash, they can go well together.

I find the technological side of it very interesting in itself as well. I keep wondering if there are people sitting behind the camera, in charge of their own drone each and having it rehearsed again and again like real ballets, wanting no mistakes. Or is it all programmed? Either way, I find the whole ballet very celebratory — both of nature, traditions and technology. And again, I really really like it.

At Thursday’s lecture, we did another Twitter Flash. This time reading into Lisa Park’s artwork Eunoia II where she uses speakers that are connected to her head that can receive and translate her emotions into sound waves. On top of the speakers is a vessel of water that reacts to the sound waves and creates vibrations and waves in the water. This is a way of translating her emotions, something psychological that can’t really be “shown” or pictured in itself, into waves in the water and hereby something physical — something you can see, even touch.

We had a question (Q4) about what Eunoia II says about the external and internal world which I find very interesting. Normally, what is inside isn’t visible outside and we can only reflect it via words, expressions and body language. Though, this artwork brings out the internal world in a different way. It translates it into a physical thing directly and hereby draws the internal world as it is into the external without you being able to choose yourself what part of it you want to share.

My other answers to the close reading questions were:

What I find fascinating about Eunoia II is that you can see actual human emotions on not living objects — from a speaker that affects the water to create small vibrations and waves. #netnarr

I find this way of expressing thoughts and artworks very interesting, innovative and modern. It reflects today’s digital and technological opportunities to create and present art and makes it a great part of the artwork itself.

I’ve really enjoyed both close readings during lecture because it allows me to react to something while I see it and not only write it down immediately, I also have to tweet it out and share my thoughts and read others’ and get inspired.

To follow up on my last blog post where I said we’d be doing gifs, I made this gif at first:

And I thought it was so cool that I could now make my own memes and gifs so I went ahead and made one that I knew my friend would appreciate — it is an inside joke, but when we hiked Løvstakken last weekend, we kept doing lame “parkour” down the mountain and I made one just perfect for that. So now I’m just meme and gif making in my spare time.